Rane RH-2

Although the Rane RH-2 look really bulky, they weigh only 390 grams with their cable. The round, circumaural capsules, with their very cosy padding, promise security for the ears. Comfort is also ensured by the headband as it is covered over its entire length with imitation leather, is very softly lined and is made up of two layers plus filling material.

Of course, DJ headphones must also look good on stage, so the chrome edge and logo certainly stand out in the spotlight, as does the wide silver company branding on the headband. The all-black plastic aesthetic seems a little cheap, but this is somewhat enhanced by the sleek appearance of the capsule surfaces. One of the unique selling points of these headphones is the interchangeability of the ear pads and the three-metre straight cable, which plugs into the lower left capsule and locks into place

Comfortable to wear and very flexible

In order to adapt to individual head sizes, ear positions and, ultimately, listening habits, the headband extensions, which are made of robust steel with a plastic rail, extend out of the headband and lock into place in ten stages. Between the capsule suspensions, which allow the closed cups to tilt through a full 180 degrees, the manufacturer has installed a joint that can also rotate vertically by 180 degrees and horizontally by almost 90 degrees. When the capsules are folded into the bracket, the Rane RH-2s can be protected and folded for transportation in a way that saves space.

Despite minimal bracket adjustment, these headphones might be too big for small heads. For my medium-sized head, I felt the need to wear them tight and used the smallest headband setting. Nevertheless, they felt comfortable and, above all, secure when worn. The large capsules offer enough room for the ears not to feel constricted but keep the headphones firmly on the head when it wobbles. The headband always held its position, even with a capsule folded behind the ear, thanks to a noticeable but not intrusive pressure that keeps it clamped in place.

The technical specifications

The RH-2’s large capsules are due to the 50-millimetre dynamic drivers, which reproduce frequencies between 10 and 30,000 hertz with an output of 100 dB ± 3 dB and a very low impedance of 32 ohms.

Tested with frequency tones

The Rane RH-2 are designed for the DJ stage, and a well-proportioned penchant for bass confirms this. After all, for a DJ, the bass drum is a metronome. Between 20 and 100 hertz, the bass experiences a fairly constant thrust, dropping to linear levels from 100 to 300 hertz. The lower, middle and upper mids, as well as the lower trebles, fit quite homogeneously into the frequency spectrum. The signal only drops significantly above 3,000 hertz, which can lead to an attenuation of sibilants, but this is not necessarily a disadvantage. The remaining frequencies also remain below a linear frequency curve. The only frequency that barely scrapes the 0 dB mark is 10 kHz.

Musical experience

Theoretically, the Rane RH-2’s frequency response may promise a rather dimmed sound image, but in our music test, these headphones convinced us with a fairly balanced sound that definitely found its strengths in the lower frequency range. The bass emphasised the groove in a measured manner. Despite the somewhat less-than-linear mids and lower trebles, lead sounds, harmonies and vocals came across well. Even the triangle in Bob James’ “Westchester Lady” sparkled out of the warm organic sound mix. I also liked the perceptible transparency and spatial imaging. Of course, there’s more to be done in these respects. After all, in a direct A/B comparison with linear headphones, the Rane RH-2 were still audibly inferior in terms of brilliance and details.

But in clubs, urban and EDM are the order of the day, and these the drivers know how to handle these styles well. If the volume is not turned all the way up, these headphones benefit from their bass and crisp treble but go too loud and precision will be lost. The bass begins to distort slightly and the capsules vibrate.

Good shielding

In terms of noise shielding, the Rane RH-2 measure up as DJ headphones. While the drivers do not rest directly on the ear, the capsules could still be susceptible to noise emissions due to their oversize. Nevertheless, they isolate sound well so that you are not distracted by sound when monitoring.